Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India

The book follows Gandhi's transformation from a relatively conventional lawyer into a political and social leader committed to non-violence, civil resistance and social reform.

A major focus is Gandhi's time in South Africa, where his experiences with racial discrimination and political struggle helped shape his ideas and methods. Lelyveld then follows Gandhi's return to India, where those ideas were tested on a much larger and more complicated political stage.

Joseph Lelyveld was an American journalist and author who worked for The New York Times for several decades and served as its executive editor from 1994 to 2001.

His interest in Gandhi developed partly through his work and travels in India and South Africa. His earlier book Move Your Shadow: South Africa, Black and White won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

The book begins by exploring Gandhi's early development and his experiences in South Africa. There he encountered racial discrimination and gradually developed methods of peaceful political resistance. These experiences became important in the formation of his philosophy of Satyagraha and non-violent action.